Thursday Night Football has been dubbed by some as the “Lions Bowl” as it features the only teams that have played Detroit and failed to beat them this season. Pittsburgh tied with the Lions a couple of weeks ago before Minnesota handed Detroit its first win of the year last week. The Vikings will no doubt be furious to have lost that game and they should be able to bounce back with a win. Despite being 5-7, Minnesota is yet to lose a game by more than a score this season, and I’m still convinced the Vikings are better than their record suggests. Kirk Cousins has thrown just 3 interceptions all season while accumulating the 6th-most passing yards in the league. Adam Thielen could be absent with an ankle injury, which would be a blow, but fellow wideout Justin Jefferson has proved that he’s more than capable of carrying the load. Running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) missed the Lions game and his status is also worth monitoring but backup running back Alexander Mattison has performed well whenever he has been out.

Mattison could be crucial to Minnesota’s success as he will be going up against a Steelers defense that allowed more yards per carry (4.8) than any other team in the league. Joe Mixon punished Pittsburgh just two weeks ago, and while the Steelers were better in their win over the Ravens last week, they will likely struggle to contain both the passing and ground game of the Vikings. Take Minnesota to cover the spread.

Vikings -3 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Although these teams have taken part in some low-scoring games this season, this total looks a little too low. For starters, they both struggle a lot at stopping the run. The Steelers have allowed a league-most 4.8 yards per carry this season, with their pitiful run defense on full display against Joe Mixon a couple of weeks ago, while the Vikings aren’t much better as they’re allowing 4.7 yards per carry. Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel combined for 199 rushing yards against Minnesota two weeks ago, while Detroit’s Jamaal Williams put up 71 against them last week. Both Najee Harris and Alexander Mattison have proved themselves to be solid running backs this season, and they should make each opposing defense pay.

Pittsburgh and Minnesota have been good in the passing game with Kirk Cousins having arguably his best season, and both offenses should have success in moving the chains. The over is 4-1 in the Vikings’ last 5 games, and this line looks generous enough for that trend to continue. Lean towards the over.

Over 44.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

The Baltimore Ravens will be eager to bounce back from a rough loss to Pittsburgh and stay atop the AFC North when they visit the Cleveland Browns in Week 14. Baltimore had won 2 in a row before blowing a 4th-quarter lead against the Steelers and falling 20-19 this past Sunday. Head coach John Harbaugh’s team had no business losing a game in which it never trailed until the final 1 minute and 48 seconds, but it still leads the division by a game over Cincinnati. The Ravens are No. 1 in the league in rushing defense and they are surrendering an average of only 14.3 points over their past three outings.

This just isn’t a good matchup for the Browns. Baker Mayfield has 11 TDs and 6 INTs on the year, including 3 of each in the last 3 games. Cleveland has to rely on its running game, but that’s not what anyone wants to do against the Ravens. Interestingly, this is the Browns’ second straight contest against the exact same opponent. They lost to the Ravens 16-10 on Nov. 28 prior to last week’s bye. Baltimore is 15-5-1 ATS in its last 21 as an underdog and 10-2-1 ATS in its last 13 trips to Cleveland. The Browns are 1-4 ATS in their last five overall, 2-6 ATS in their last eight at home, and 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings between the two teams. It is also worth noting that the road team is 16-7-1 ATS in the last 24 head-to-head matchups. The Ravens should not only cover but also win outright.

*Ravens ML at +110 available at time of publishing. Playable to Ravens at even money.*

A total of 16 points were scored in the Ravens-Browns game 2 weeks ago. Sure there will probably be more than that put up this time around, but the number is still too large. As mentioned in the ML write-up, this is a dreadful matchup for Cleveland’s offense. Kareem Hunt returned from a 5-week absence in the loss to Baltimore but amassed just 20 yards on 7 attempts. As for Baltimore’s offense, it has gone 4 consecutive contests without reaching the 20-point mark. Lamar Jackson has accounted for only 3 touchdowns in total over the last 3 games. The under is 4-0 in the Ravens’ last four overall, 5-0 in their last five on the road, and 4-1 in their last five against the AFC. It is also 4-1 in the Browns’ last five at home. Additionally, the under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Back the under.

*Under 42 available at time of publishing. Playable to 41.*

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be trying to extend their winning streak to 4 games when they host the Buffalo Bills in Week 14. Tampa Bay is coming off consecutive victories over the Giants, Colts, and Falcons. Antonio Brown is suspended, but that shouldn’t matter for a number of reasons. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin still make for one of the best WR duos in the sport, Rob Gronkowski has stepped up with 17 catches for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns over the past 3 games, and Sunday’s contest will probably feature a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette since the Bills are weaker against the run than they are against the pass. Fournette had 100 yards and 3 scores during the Week 12 victory over Indianapolis.

There is not much to break down when it comes down to the recent Monday Night Football game between Buffalo and New England. Passing games were rendered irrelevant because of weather conditions as the Bills fell 14-10. What does matter is that they are playing on a short week and still licking wounds from an alarming 3-4 record in their last seven outings. It’s safe to say that Josh Allen is no longer an MVP candidate and his team has seemingly gone from Super Bowl contender to pretender. Buffalo is 1-3-1 ATS in the last five meetings between the two teams. The Bucs are 4-0 ATS in their last four at home and 5-2 ATS in their last seven against opponents with winning records. It is also worth noting that the home team is 4-0-1 ATS in the last five head-to-head matchups. Go with Tampa Bay and do so with confidence.

*Bucs -3 available at time of publishing. Playable to -5.5.*

Allen and company surely can’t wait to play a normal football game under more standard conditions, which is expected to be the case on Sunday in sunny Tampa, Fla. In their last three games prior to Monday’s absurdity, the Bills posted a combined 91 points. On other side of the ball, cornerback Tre’Davious White is out for the season with a knee injury. That wasn’t a factor for obvious reasons against the Patriots, but it will be in a big way against the Bucs. Tom Brady is coming off a 368-yard, 4-touchdown effort against Atlanta, pushing his total to 34 passing TDs for the season. The over is 6-0 in the Bills’ last six as underdogs. It is also 4-1 in the Bucs’ last five against opponents with winning records and 11-4 in their last 15 as home favorites. Lean toward the over.

*Over 52.5 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.*